“Hey, Michael,” I greeted as I pulled open the door for Micah’s employee.
“Hey, Jodi, is the boss around?”
I shook my head. “He’s still on his way back from Dallas. He was stopping by the office first before coming home.”
His shoulders sank as he frowned. “Damn, I was doing one of the drivebys he asked me to do while he was gone, and I got a tip for a case I’m working. I dropped by, hoping he’d be back by now. Looks like he stayed longer in Dallas than he planned.”
Leaning against the door, I nodded. “Yeah. Thankfully, he didn’t have to stay for two nights.”
“Yeah, that’d be a bummer. I know you’re glad he's close to solving this case.”
I dipped my eyebrows. “This case? As in my case?”
“Yeah. That was the whole reason he went up to Dallas. Chasing a lead. The Wilson kid is supposed to have information on a kidnapped, pregnant girl. He thinks it’s connected to the body we found last week.”
I bulged my eyes. “Body? What body?”
“The guy that broke into your …” He trailed off, seeing the shock that turned to fury on my face.
“The man who broke into my home and attacked me. Micah found him? And he’s dead. Is that what you’re telling me?”
“Shit. Why do I feel like I wasn’t supposed to mention that?”
I was so livid I couldn’t even conjure up a response to his question. I slammed the door in his face and immediately went searching for my cell phone, ready to curse Micah Townsend the hell out.
“Better yet, why don’t I drop by his office,” I declared.
The guilt in my chest continued to war with the satisfaction of knowing I was doing what I needed to do to keep Jodi safe and far away from this case.
“I was on my way out of the door for the night,” Leona informed me as I pushed through the doors of LS Investigations. “I printed those files you requested. They’re on your desk. Anything else you need?”
I shook my head. “Where’s Sy?”
“Waiting on you in your office.”
I nodded. “See ya tomorrow.” I headed to my office to find Sy standing in the middle, reading over something. “Is that it?” I questioned.
He turned and nodded. “Yeah, the foster care files you sent. It looks like we do have a match with one of the deputies in the Harlington department. Deputy McDowell.”
“The foster brother of Nathan Lane?”
“The very one. Well, one of many, to be honest. They both were in and out of a few homes. At age eight, they were placed in the same home. They grew close, according to the foster mother.”
“But one became a deputy and one a lifetime criminal?” I said sarcastically.
“More like they both became criminals. This guy just can hide behind his badge.”
I walked over to my desk to seize the papers Leona had placed there. “The connection between Lane and McDowell isn’t a coincidence, but it doesn’t explain Jodi’s grandfather’s involvement.”
“Or what they’re doing with the girls.”
I looked up from the papers, staring at Sy. “I found out what they’re doing with the girls.” I gritted my teeth, thinking about the sick ways they lured and used these teenage girls to make money.
“Sex trafficking?” Sy questioned.
I shook my head. “Selling babies. I’ll give you the details later. What else did you find?”
“Okay, so I researched through what we know about Jodi’s grandfather. That was when I realized that we looked into the medical records as far as the oncologist he was seeing, but not his primary or any other doctor. Turns out, the primary he was seeing, Dr. Greene, has a practice over on the west side of town.”
